Tag: sun

I passed by the downstairs window, and saw a big orange half-Sun disappearing into the watery horizon ahead.

It was vibrant. I went and got my phone, got slightly distracted along the way, and by the time I had gotten back, I was surprised at how much more of the Sun had disappeared behind the water. It was now this:

I realised I should try and catch a view of it from upstairs, before it disappeared any further, and in the minute that I said a few words to Hubbie and actually went up to our room, it was now THIS:

I couldn’t believe it! So fast. Before I could even catch a proper appreciative look at it, this bright orange sunset had vanished, leaving a golden hue all along the water.

About 30 minutes later, and the landscape had dramatically changed again:

Although the sunset had moved past me way too quickly, I know the beauty is always there… in brightness, in fading light, and in the night.

Because today after I got back to my car after our grocery shop, it was toasty and warm from sitting out in the sun for a couple of hours…

and I actually had to open the window.

You know how in Winter, you live for those moments when the car is comfortably warm and yet outside, it is still fresh and chilly? Well today it was 13 degrees, and yet somehow for the last day of July, that translated to a mild, manageable, Wintery and almost-Spring like, heat.

Yep I said it, Spring.

I know you’ll say I’m crazy, we are not even past August yet… but I swear, it is IN THE AIR. Look what I snapped the other day:

Conversely, a woman should never take advantage of her husband’s credit card.

…

I just spent $190 in 15 minutes. And most of it was on coasters for goodness sake.

But ahh, the beauty and convenience of online shopping. I have been longing for a certain type of coaster for a while now, but tried to delay the purchase and subsequent spending of $$$ until we had moved. Today, with the sun shining out and fuelled by my good friend coffee, I went on a bit of a random shopping spree. One of my chosen items coincidentally tells me that coffee is what you do BEFORE you do any shopping, well ANY THING for that matter:

See? I must be on track. But seriously. I also got a Wiggles bed spread for baby girl:

Ahh the things you do, I couldn’t leave my princess out. And before you think I am an evil, evil woman parting with money unbeknownst to Hubbie, I assure you I will tell him tonight after he’s had his second alcoholic drink and his tummy is full. Oh, also, coincidentally, I also bought this:

It was unexpectedly sunny, though rain was expected to pummel down sometime today. I was driving, feeling like I should have dressed lighter… but I didn’t mind too much. Winter was fading, and I was glad to be warm.

Baby girl was yelling out at random intervals in the back seat… postman – yell!… dog being walked – yell!… plane – yell! I repeated the things she saw and took joy in the simple objects around us with her.

Prince was singing. 1999. Extended version. My stereo volume, on 16.

And just like that: baby girl in one ear, Prince surrounding the car, the heat emanating through the car and the sun beckoning from outside, in the aftermath of a huge party-filled weekend, with thoughts of our beach house looming to us in my mind, only months away…

I was really happy, and content. It was a moment, but a very cool, a very special one. I know to take pleasure in things like this. We are now in ‘anticipatory delight.’*

A few of this kind can be found in our fair city. I couldn’t help taking some shots today after Dad was finished with his appointment. My parents headed over to the car as I snapped this quickie on St Kilda road:

and then as I was driving, I just had to capture this:

Can you see that ray of light just bursting through the pic onto the centre of the road? The silver car on the side is underneath a tree that has very little leaves, but the few it does have are a brilliant yellow, the colour threatening to pop at any moment as Melbourne’s ferocious winds head into town.

And in this next pic, the trees here are more indicative of what I particularly like, what was missing a bit in the previous pic. The leaves in these trees are slightly more in abundance, meaning their branches can stretch out and touch each other in the middle of the street.

I LOVE THAT.

Again, the Sun’s rays are beaming through… I love how unrelenting it is, forcing itself down despite the difficult weather. I love how the Sun just never gives up on us. It always tries it’s damn hardest to get through, no matter what the conditions.

As much as the weather leaves little to be desired at this time of year, I am grateful for these moments, where beauty and mother nature at her finest can be spotted in simple everyday activities.

I am happy that I can find and appreciate these pockets of beauty, despite freezing my ass off.

It’s always a pleasant surprise when I am going through my day, this gratitude blog floating in the back of my mind, just waiting for something to happen, and then something does so that it jumps forth and goes ‘aha!’ Such a moment happened just minutes ago, as I discovered today is the shortest day of the year.

Today marks the Winter solstice in the Southern hemisphere.

As a Summer-loving gal, you just KNOW that I am grateful for this day, because being the shortest day today, only means the days are going to be getting longer and longer.

(Yes yes yes! Llyeton Hewitt style).

But then something else happened. I was focusing on the article I was reading about the solstice, and looking at the date: June 21.

Then it hit me. On this day, what seems like almost a lifetime ago, Hubbie and I got engaged.

So we got engaged on the Winter Solstice.

I read some more. Turns out that historically, in ancient times this turning point is considered the re-birth of the Sun, where a new spark of Hope is ignited. It makes sense: through the longest and darkest of nights, there come the promise of light, and new beginnings.

However, the fact that the days will get longer, does not mean that sunrise will come sooner in the day – not yet anyway. This is all to do with the fact that the Earth’s path around the Sun is not in a perfect circle, and also the Earth is off-centre on its axis (you can thank me for the lesson later).

I found all that info pretty damn cool, (no pun intended)… don’t you?

On that cold night of historical significance, we made a commitment to each other… we danced the night away with family and friends, smiled ’til our cheeks hurt, laughed, and wished, and Hoped, and promised, and looked forward to our future together.

The re-birth of the Sun. The promise of Hope. That suits me to a T. Actually, that sits perfectly with how I live my life.

I don’t care if you are a dog lover ONLY and you despise cats (harrumph, sad human you are), but if you like going outdoors on a sunny day, then you fit into the above category. You are a feline, and there is no denying it.

I took my lunch break while at work today to go to the local Woolies and buy some stuff for dinner tonight – aptly, ingredients to make some tomato soup, as the recent colder weather definitely promotes it.

I work in a part of the city, that frankly put it, can appear dead on weekends when the 9-5 Monday to Friday is over… and also, when it is cold. On these days, you wonder where all these work people are – what kind of jobs do they do? What kind of offices do they inhabit? Are they sad like me, that it is so miserably cold? Is there any kind of life here at all? Am I just kidding myself that I’m the only one at work?

And then, on days like today, they all come out to play. Like pussycats.

It’s not Winter yet, however the weather has taken a biting downward turn. Despite this, and the brisk air as I described it today (nicely put instead of icy), when the sun came out, so too did the people.

And I was appreciative for this. I was appreciative that we live in a society where generally, people do want to mingle. They want to get out, they want to get some vitamin D… if they are cranky, the light makes them feel better. If they are sad, the warmth fills them with something that nothing else can. If they are restless, a walk outside can reset their heads and make them brand new again. If they are over-worked, gossiping with their colleagues outside will free their worries.

It’s lovely to be a part of a thriving and bustling work scene. Because no matter how hard the day may be, whether you are a tabby, a Maine Coon or a Siamese, when we all meet out in the sunshine, we’re all joint in mutual play, free from work, if only for a small portion of the day.

Yet that portion makes all the difference. I love to be amongst this animal variety, and I love that this majority, rules. How gratifying and inspiring it is, to know so many gravitate towards the sun?!